Ethical Issues for Mediators in Expected and Unexpected Situations

Hon. Elizabeth Allen White (Ret.) retired as a judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court in July 2020, after serving 23 years on the bench. Judge White also served as a justice pro tem of the California Court of Appeal, 2nd District in 2004 and again in 2020. Her judicial career began in 1997 on the Los Angeles Municipal Court, and she was elevated to the Superior Court in 2000 following court unification. Before her judicial service, Judge White worked as a trial attorney, representing both plaintiffs and defendants in employment and general business litigation.

During her tenure, Judge White presided in Department 48, an independent civil calendar court at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles. She served as the chair of the Judicial Education Seminars Civil Law Subcommittee from 2016 until her retirement in 2020, leading efforts to develop judicial education for civil judges in Los Angeles County. Prior to this role, she chaired the Civil Law Education Committee for the Judicial Council’s Judicial Education and Research Department.

Judge White has been a frequent lecturer for judicial education across California and has extensive teaching experience. She served as adjunct faculty at USC Gould School of Law, teaching Constitutional Law and Professional Responsibility in its LL.M. program. She also taught Civil Discovery at Loyola Law School and was an instructor for UCLA Extension’s Paralegal Training Program.

Judge White earned her undergraduate degree from UCLA and her J.D. from Loyola Law School in 1981.

Edith R. Matthai has over 45 years of experience representing clients in complex and high-profile matters. She has long been a leader within the legal community and recognized as a skilled trial lawyer, earning accolades from many leading legal institutions. She has represented clients in countless mediations and settled well over 1,000 cases. Edith has been retained in a wide variety of cases that are complex and unique. She has represented hundreds of lawyers and law firms, from solo practitioners to AmLaw 100 firms, in professional liability actions. She has evaluated and litigated a wide range of matters, including complex business transactions, Ponzi schemes, fraud claims, fee disputes, partnership dissolutions, tax structures, family disputes with high-value marital or probate estates, complex real estate transactions, entertainment industry disputes, patent disputes, bankruptcy adversary proceedings, predatory lending, escrow and mortgage fraud, debt relief programs and insurance disputes. Throughout her career, Ms. Matthai has handled numerous appeals covering a broad range of issues.